HP can’t afford snap poll:
ministerKangra, March 24The State Minister for Animal Husbandry and Public Works, Dr Ram Lal Markanday, today said the BJP would be responsible for the HVC-BJP government fell in the state following the threat of the seven BJP rebels, including four expelled BJP ministers.

Hydel projects to coop bodies
hailedShimla, March 24Mr D.S. Thakur, president of the state Cooperative Development Federation, has hailed the decision of the government allowing cooperative societies to undertake hydel power projects and said that the step would go a long way in providing jobs to unemployed youth.

Scholars laud role of
folkloreShimla, March 24Eminent Hindi scholars have appreciated the role of folklore, particularly folk songs, in preserving the fragile hill environment and called for its comprehensive documentation for benefit of posterity.

HP Cong to join stir against NDA
govtChamba, March 24Following the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) decision to pressurise the ouster of the BJP-led government at the Centre over the ‘tehelka expose” in defence deals, the Himachal Pradesh Congress Party has also resolved to join the nationwide multi-phased action plan beginning from March 26.

Case against Shanta adjournedShimla, March 24The hearing of the defamation suit filed against Mr Shanta Kumar, Union Cabinet Minister, by former Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate was adjourned today.

HPSEB borrowing limit to be
hikedShimla, March 24The financially starved BJP government of Mr
P.K. Dhumal is planning to get the borrowing limit of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board
(HPSEB) raised by Rs 500 crore to bail it out of the current crunch.

Booklet highlights graft in HP
GovtShimla, March 24The Leader of the Congress Legislature Party, Mr Virbhadra Singh, today accused Chief Minister
P.K. Dhumal of having become a “fountainhead of corruption” and demanded his resignation as his own ministers and legislators had made allegations of corruption and nepotism against his
government.

Resentment over Asst
Engineers’ promotionsMandi, March 24Assistant Engineers (direct category) working in the Public Works Department in the state have expressed resentment over the recent promotions of 16 Assistant Engineers to the rank of Executive Engineers allegedly in violation of the stay order dated January 6, 1999, (case No. OA-60), issued by the Vice-Chairman of the Himachal Administrative Tribunal, Mr Attar Singh.

Water-lifting scheme
still incompleteKumarhatti, March 24Residents of Kyar and Dagroh villages have complained that they have to depend upon contaminated water for their daily requirements and that too has to be fetched from a distance of 1.5 km.

Kangra, March 24
The State Minister for Animal Husbandry and Public Works, Dr Ram Lal Markanday, today said the BJP would be responsible for the HVC-BJP government fell in the state following the threat of the seven BJP rebels, including four expelled BJP ministers.

Dr Markanday while talking to mediapersons here today said HVC supremo Sukh Ram had repeatedly insisted on the BJP leadership to sort out the issue amicably so that the people of the state should not be burdened by another mid-term poll.

He said “I was told that with the intervention of the BJP high command in New Delhi the issue had been sorted out between the rebels and the state BJP leadership. But it was to my utter surprise when I came to know through media yesterday regarding the fresh threat by rebels with March 25, as the deadline”.

Asked was the HVC compromising on the issue of corruption in the state in order to be in power, Dr Markanday replied, “we are compromising with the situation in the present circumstances in view of the current political scenario on the national and the state level.

Besides the state was facing a drought like situation and we could not afford to put additional burden of mid-term poll on the people of the state”. He said, “I will not compromise with corruption at any cost”.

He said the PWD officers would be empowered to take action against illegal encroachments on road, particularly on the national highways, in the state.

Asked about the alleged coaltar scam detected when Mr Mohinder Singh was the PWD Minister, Dr Markanday said the image of the PWD was tarnished due to some reasons, including substandard quality work, but assured that strict action would be taken against any PWD official found indulging in corruption and compromising on the quality of work.

He admitted that daily wagers were appointed in the department on political consideration earlier but this would not be done any more.

Shimla, March 24
Mr D.S. Thakur, president of the state Cooperative Development Federation, has hailed the decision of the government allowing cooperative societies to undertake hydel power projects and said that the step would go a long way in providing jobs to unemployed youth.

He said that the cooperative movement had gained momentum in the past three years as evident from the fact that the amount of loans disbursed through cooperative institutions annually had shot up from Rs 197 crore in 1996-97 to Rs 223 crore last year.

The government has launched a special scheme “samarthan” to provide self employment to women under which 2500 women were being trained in carpet weaving. The carpets produced by them would be marketed through the network of cooperative institutions.

Cooperative development projects were being implemented in Solan, Chamba, Kulu and Una at a cost of Rs 26.50 crore under which credit was being made available for the construction of godowns, office buildings and ropeways on easy terms.

Shimla, March 24
The hearing of the defamation suit filed against Mr Shanta Kumar, Union Cabinet Minister, by former Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate was adjourned today.

The hearing was fixed for the statement of Mr Virbhadra Singh, and it is the second time that it was adjourned due to the absence of the
CJM. Earlier, on December 2, 2000 the case was adjourned due to the CJM being on leave. Now the hearing has been fixed for April 21.

A criminal complaint was filed by Mr Virbhadra Singh against Mr Shanta Kumar in 1996 on the basis of a press statement issued by the latter regarding payment of Rs 2 crore as commission to certain private individuals for getting a loan for the state government.

Chamba, March 24
Following the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) decision to pressurise the ouster of the BJP-led government at the Centre over the ‘tehelka expose” in defence deals, the Himachal Pradesh Congress Party has also resolved to join the nationwide multi-phased action plan beginning from March 26.

Addressing a news conference here today, Mr Harsh Mahajan, General Secretary of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC), disclosed that an awareness drive wouldbe launched and rallies organised at every district headquarter in the state to expose the Vajpayee Government at the grassroots level so that the people of Himachal should know misdeed and wheeling-dealing by the Vajpayee government.

Mr Mahajan said that the movement would continue till the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government was dislodged or over-thrown. He said that the rallies would also be organised by the Congress Party in Municipal towns and block headquarters and these would be addressed by senior state and national leaders.

Mr Mahajan said that in view of the startling revelations by the ‘tehelka expose’ the Vajpayee government had no moral right to stay in power. It should step down.

Mr Mahajan stated that there was no need of a judicial probe into the tehelka dot com. expose in the light of disclosures and the confessions made by the top brass of the BJP and the Samata Party including Defence officials in this regard. Rather an FIR should be lodged and guilty punished strongly.

Mr Mahajan accused the BJP leaders of shielding their coalition partners and party ministerial collegues which was very shameful and betrayal of the democracy. He also questioned the high ideals and moral principles of the BJP as a big question mark hovered around Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee himself who was also involved in this expose.

Speaking about the formation of a coalition government in the prevailing turmoil in Himachal, Mr Mahajan stated that though the Congress had no truck with the BJP rebels yet the party’s state leadership was monitoring the current political crisis in the state.

Mr Mahajan castigated the BJP-led government for launching the Antodaya Anna Yojna without identifying the poor living below poverty line.

Referring to a news item in a newspaper regarding his involvement in transfer of certain officials. Mr Mahajan challenged the so-called reporter saying that “publish and be damned.” He said the news item was fabricated and baseless.

Shimla, March 24
The financially starved BJP government of Mr
P.K. Dhumal is planning to get the borrowing limit of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board
(HPSEB) raised by Rs 500 crore to bail it out of the current crunch.

Sources said for this purpose, the government shall have to move a motion in the assembly for increasing the borrowing limit to Rs 2000 crore from the existing Rs 1500
crore. The limit cannot be increased without the approval of the
assembly.

The Dhumal government had about three years ago got the borrowing limit of HPSEB increased by Rs 600 crore within four months after coming into
power.

Successive governments have been getting the borrowing limit of the HPSEB enhanced from time to time from getting finances. These loans were generally diverted to the government for meeting its
expenditures.

The Virbhadra Singh government during its four-year regime had increased the borrowing limit of the HPSEB by Rs 400 crore to make it Rs 900
crore. If the limit is raised by Rs 500 crore by the Dhumal government now, the total hike will be of Rs 1100 crore during its three years in
office.

The BJP had earlier been criticising the Congress government of having plunged the state in a debt trap and the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India had also taken serious view of the loans of the HPSEB being diverted to the
government.

The Congress leaders have been criticising the Dhumal government for
raising huge loans through various boards and corporations to pay the salaries of employees.

Shimla, March 24
The Leader of the Congress Legislature Party, Mr Virbhadra Singh, today accused Chief Minister
P.K. Dhumal of having become a “fountainhead of corruption” and demanded his resignation as his own ministers and legislators had made allegations of corruption and nepotism against his
government.

Mr Virbhadra Singh, who was talking to newsmen in connection with completion of three years in office of the BJP-HVC combine government of Mr
Dhumal, released a booklet in Hindi titled, “Jhooth Aur Loot Ke Teen
Saal”, highlighting “corruption, nepotism and favoritism” in which, he alleged, the Dhumal government was indulging ever since it came to power.

He demanded that the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari
Vajpayee, should resign on moral grounds as it was for the first time that an audio-visual tape of highly placed persons of the ruling BJP taking bribes had been exposed by
Tehelka. Instead of registering cases against those who were seen accepting bribe, Mr Vajpayee was trying to scuttle the issue by appointing a commission of enquiry, he alleged.

The booklet said that without consideration for the severe financial crisis in the state, Mr Dhumal was flying in the hired helicopter which was putting a burden of crores of rupees on the exchequer.

It pointed out that a Cabinet meeting was convened by Mr Dhumal on a 30-minute notice and over 100 power projects allotted to various private parties without any discussion.

The booklet alleged that RSS and BJP activists were being recruited in the university and by the public service commission and subordinate services selection board ignoring
merit.

Mr Virbhadra Singh said that there were only three options in case the Dhumal government fell — forming a government with the support of rebels, supporting the rebels from outside to form a government or seeking dissolution of the assembly and going in for fresh elections.

Shimla, March 24
Eminent Hindi scholars have appreciated the role of folklore, particularly folk songs, in preserving the fragile hill environment and called for its comprehensive documentation for benefit of posterity.

Participating in a workshop on “Environmental Awareness in Folk Songs” organised by the Himanjali, a non-government organisation (NGO), they pointed out that folk songs had mainly been reflecting wisdom of the Vedas and other scriptures which emphasised on coexistence of man and nature.

Inaugurating the workshop, Mr K.R. Bharati, Director of language, art and culture, said nature and environment had been an integral part of hill folklore which helped in creating awareness among the people. The rich environmental contents of the folklore made the people realise that forests and rivers were essential for the existence of mankind.

In his keynote address, Dr Tulsi Raman drew attention to the tradition of worshipping the Vandev the forest god for the well-being of cattle and people at large. The villagers sung songs and danced to seek blessings of the forest god for protection of their livestock and crops from wild animals which indicated the predominance of wildlife at that time. The present day folk songs on the other hand underline the disastrous impact of deforestation.

Mr Ram Dayal Neraj, in his presidential address, said writers in hills over the ages found it almost impossible to create a folk song without reference to nature and environment. However, while documenting such folk songs, care should be taken to distinguish those from which merely describe the beauty of nature from those reflecting various aspects of environment.

Mrs Neerja Chatley, advisor of the Himanjali, said to began with folk songs of Shimla district would be documented and published in the form of a book. The recommendations of the workshop would provide the basic guidelines for documentation of folk songs. The Himanajali, she said, was also compiling a directory of Himachali artists, art forms and folk dances so that these dying skills could be preserved.

Mandi, March 24
Assistant Engineers (direct category) working in the Public Works Department in the state have expressed resentment over the recent promotions of 16 Assistant Engineers to the rank of Executive Engineers allegedly in violation of the stay order dated January 6, 1999, (case No. OA-60), issued by the Vice-Chairman of the Himachal Administrative Tribunal, Mr Attar Singh.

A spokesman of the Association of Assistant Engineers (direct recruitees) today handed over to mediapersons the copies of the stay order and the notification of promotion dated March 17, 2001, and lamented that the government had committed a blatant violation of the stay order and thereby made itself liable for the contempt of court.

He said while flouting the directives of the court the notification in its para 3 had added that, “the above promotions are subject to the final decision of the high court HP Administrative Tribunal.”

Kumarhatti, March 24
Residents of Kyar and Dagroh villages have complained that they have to depend upon contaminated water for their daily requirements and that too has to be fetched from a distance of 1.5 km.

A water-lifting scheme was sanctioned for the two villages as there was no sources of potable water but the authorities have failed to make it operational.

The situation has worsened for the past six months as the limited natural sources of the two villages have almost dried up.

The laying of the water pipes from a hand pump that was bored under the scheme was just an eyewash on the part of the IPH as till date neither the electricity connection nor water tanks have been arranged, alleged a resident of Kyar village. Every time we have to listen to the excuses of funds shortage from the Dharampur IPH under whose jurisdiction the area falls, alleged Mr Prem Sharma of Kyar village.